Iowa Western Community College is a learning community committed to excellence in meeting the educational needs and improving the quality of life through programs, partnerships and community involvement.

School Highlights

Iowa Western Community College serves 6,547 students (52% of students are full-time).

The college's student:teacher ratio of 25:1 is lower than the state community college average of 33:1.

Minority enrollment is 18% of the student body (majority Black and Hispanic), which is less than the state average of 31%.

Finances and Admission

The public in-state tuition of $4,285 is more than the state average of $4,080. The in-state tuition has stayed relatively flat over four years.

The public out-state tuition of $4,435 is less than the state average of $4,848. The out-state tuition has stayed relatively flat over four years.

In-State Tuition Fees

$4,285

$4,080

Out-State Tuition Fees

$4,435

$4,848

% Students Receiving Some Financial Aid

93%

90%

Source: 2014 (latest year available) IPEDS

School Notes

Clarinda Junior College, which was established in 1923 and had a long history of providing a two-year liberal arts education in Southwest Iowa, was selected to serve as one campus, and a new campus was located in Council Bluffs. The College expanded into other parts of the district with the establishment of centers in Atlantic (Cass County Center), Harlan (Shelby County Center), and Shenandoah (Page/Fremont County Center).
On January 23, 1967, two vocational-technical programs were started using facilities in Council Bluffs. A major development was the addition of a liberal arts curriculum at the Council Bluffs Campus in the fall of 1968. Currently the College offers 84 different vocational/technical programs and Arts and Sciences/Transfer majors. Fall 2003 enrollment was 4,205 students. In addition, there are over 42,795 enrollments in continuing education classes each year.
Iowa Western has been a vital part of the development of southwest Iowa for the past 32 years. From providing students with the necessary resources to start on a bachelor's degree; offering services to employers to increase economic development; providing continuing education courses; and offering numerous two-year degrees in technical areas, Iowa Western continues to set the standard for colleges throughout the area.

Today's high school dropout rates call for drastic measures, and community colleges are taking action to help keep students in high school. Learn about their innovative programs and how your local community college is keeping high school students on campus.

Valedictorians and honors students are increasingly choosing honors programs at community colleges instead of four-year institutions after graduating from high school. Learn about the trends and benefits of taking the honors track at a community college before transferring to a four-year institution.

For Iowa public community colleges, the average tuition is approximately $4,080 per year for in-state students and $4,848 for out-of-state students. For private community colleges, the average yearly tuition is approximately $15,327 per year. Read more about average community college tuition costs across the country.